


Another Hogwarts Letter

by Dracos_tealsuit



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic, Dudley Dursley Has a Magical Child, Established Relationship, F/M, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Redeemed Dudley Dursley, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-08-19 15:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20211946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracos_tealsuit/pseuds/Dracos_tealsuit
Summary: This fic is on HOLDI want to make sure the 2nd half is worthy of AstridPrompt--Dudley shows up on Harry's porch with his kid and a letter from Hogwarts.DracoxHarryThe POV will be Scorpius and Astrid (Dudley's daughter) alternating. Story will include them going to Hogwarts with Teddy and the Weasley kids. It will also have a significant amount of Drarry in it :)I adjusted some dates of birth to put these kids in school altogether. EWE.-Excerpt-“My daughter just got a letter from Hogwarts and we need to talk to Harry about it.”Scorpius leaned around to watch the girl come up the sidewalk from their car. She was lovely, with long red hair falling past her shoulders onto a teal dress that was cinched at the waist. Scorpius eyed her with obvious appreciation before looking back at the man in front of him with a patented Malfoy smirk. “There’s no way that girl came from your genes,” he said.“You disrespectful little brat-”A full smile bloomed on Scorpius’ face as he cut him off, saying, “Oh, you definitely shouldn’t talk to me like that.” He stepped back feeling his father come up beside him, and watched as Draco put his wand to the man’s throat.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Say hi @dracos.tealsuit
> 
> All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. We are forever in her debt.

**June 19th 2012**

Scorpius Malfoy sat on the kitchen counter, his legs swinging gently as he watched Draco, his father, brew a new batch of Pepper-Up Potion. He was already in the second stage of the process, stirring 4 times in a clockwise direction, and reaching for the dropper which held 5 drops of Salamander blood to add, before stirring again. Draco had promised Sorpius he could help out with potions brewing over the summer to earn extra allowance, but he had to watch a batch of each one being made before he was allowed to start. 

Hogwarts wouldn’t allow him to make these kinds of potions until his fourth year, and, at 12 years old, Scorpius had only just finished his first year. However, his father had always been willing to teach him about anything he showed an interest in, even if it was ahead of the school curriculum. Since Scorpius had an interest in potions and earning enough money for the newest Nimbus broom before 2nd year, this was a perfect arrangement. 

As Draco was adding the last ingredient, 4 Fire seeds, the doorbell chimed. Their house had two entrances, one Muggle and one Wizarding. The Wizarding side on the North only had a door knocker, so they knew someone was awaiting response on the South side of the house that faced Muggle London. Scorpius glanced at his father who gave him a nod and said, “Go ahead, I need to take this off the heat and wash my hands.” 

The boy hopped off the counter and turned down the hallway leading to the door. He could hear a man’s voice on the other side as he said, “Joanna we talked about this, I know what I’m doing. I should have tried talking to him years ago.”

Scorpius opened the door to find a large man hurriedly ending the conversation and stuffing his cell phone into his back pocket. He was broad shouldered with large everything, thick legs, thick arms and a stomach that wasn’t quite obese, but was nothing close to flat. The man looked a bit confused before he offered a polite smile and said, “Hi, I’m looking for Harry Potter.” 

Scorpius didn’t even blink before he gave his usual reply, “He’s not here.” He didn’t care that Harry was in the upstairs study. This reply was the same thing he said to everyone, regardless of Harry’s presence in the house. Draco and Harry had been together since Scorpius was three years old. At six, he had used his birthday to ask for them to be a real family and Harry had bought their house the next day, followed by a wedding in the gardens of Malfoy Manor 8 months later. With the six years that followed, Scorpius was well practiced at rebuffing the Harry Potter fans who came sniffing around. 

The man at the door frowned, then cocked his head, trying to see into the house. “Are you sure? It’s really important that I speak with him,” he said, fishing for something in his pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper and attempted to hand it over to Scorpius, who made no moves to take it. The man’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, “He sent this to me,” he said, his tone becoming less friendly. 

Scorpius looked down, recognizing Harry’s terrible handwriting, and saw that it was his address. At the bottom, Harry had signed his name. “Well look at that,” he said, letting a slight sneer show on his lips, “you already have his autograph.” He looked up, letting his grey eyes harden, “Enjoy your evening,” he said, unpleasantly, and started to close the door. 

The man reached out and put his hand against the door to stop it from closing. “Not so fast,” he all but growled the words. “Look,” he said, and waved to the car. “My daughter just got a letter from Hogwarts and we need to talk to Harry about it.” 

Scorpius leaned around to watch the girl come up the sidewalk from their car. She was lovely, with long red hair falling past her shoulders onto a teal dress that was cinched at the waist. Scorpius eyed her with obvious appreciation before looking back at the man in front of him with a patented Malfoy smirk. “There’s no way that girl came from your genes,” he said. 

Something in the man seemed to snap and he stepped closer to the doorway “You disrespectful little brat-”

A full smile bloomed on Scorpius’ face as he cut him off, saying, “Oh, you definitely shouldn’t talk to me like that.” He stepped back feeling his father come up beside him, and watched as Draco put his wand to the man’s throat. 

“Time for you to leave.” Draco said, pressing his wand forward until the man had taken a few steps back. 

"My name is Dudley," he said, throwing his hands up in an attempt at surrender. "I'm Harry Potter's cousin."

The girl from the car had finally reached them, "Dad, what's going on?" she asked.

Dudley put a hand down to keep her behind him, still looking at Draco, "I can prove it, let me show you my phone."

Eyeing the girl, Draco nodded once and let Dudley reach for his phone. He watched as the man's chubby fingers flew across the screen. A crash came from above them, followed by the unmistakable sound of Harry thrashing towards the stairs and then down them. 

Harry reached the door in record time with a breathless, "Hey, Dudley," as he gently pulled Draco back by the waist. 

Draco allowed himself to be pulled back, sheathing his wand, and fixing Dudley with a disgusted sneer, "If I'd known it was you I wouldn't have bothered with the wand. I would have just hit you." 

Scorpius chuckled but quickly turned it into a cough when he got _ the look _ from Harry. He was pretty confident that Harry had paid Molly Weasley to teach him that look. 

"Dudley," Harry said, obviously uncomfortable, "you should have called first. It would have made this," he gave a hesitant smile, "better."

"Sorry Harry, I didn't," he chanced a glance at Scorpius, "I wasn't trying to make trouble." He moved to the side, "Harry, this is my daughter, Astrid. She recently received a very important letter."

“Hello,” she said. 

When the girl stepped up to Harry to shake his hand, Scorpius got a good look at her eyes. They were dual colored, one green and one blue, but more than that, they were curious. Intensely curious. He watched as she looked briefly up to Harry's face, then let her eyes flutter around, taking in as much information as she could before the handshake was over. In her left hand she was holding a Hogwarts letter, which she offered to Harry. 

Harry read the letter with a frown on his face, "I see," he said, looking at his cousin, "and now you need my help?" 

Dudley gave a helpless shrug, "I was hoping-" 

"Uncle Harry," Astrid's voice was sweeter than it had been before, she was looking up at him with large innocent eyes. Scorpius' focus sharpened at the change as he watched her take Dudley's hand. "My Dad told me that you would know what to do. Will you please just answer a few of my questions? I'd be willing to offer something in trade. I am quite good at chores." At the end she flashed Harry the most earnest smile that Scorpius had ever seen, with the obvious exception of Harry's own smiles. 

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow at the performance and looked over at his father, who was wearing the exact same expression. They exchanged a quick glance before looking at Harry, who had pretty much melted. 

_ Almost a Slytherin my ass, I'm sure the hat said hufflepuff, _Scorpius thought. 

"Why don't you both come in for a cuppa?" Harry said. As the two of them walked through the door, Astrid met Scorpius' eye and her earnest smile morphed into a wry grin. 

Draco nudged his shoulder as they watched the group of three head to the kitchen. "Think we should keep her?" 

Scorpius felt his neck crack with the speed he jerked it to look up at his father, "Can we do that?" 

"Probably. At least on weekends."

"Well," Scorpius replied, trying to give off an heir of nonchalance, "it's good for us to be charitable. She is magical, after all. We should help." 

His father chuckled. "You're not fooling me with that," he said, ruffling his son's hair. "Go practice manipulation tactics on the guests."

Scorpius pulled away quickly, glaring at Draco in false annoyance and smoothing his hair back into place. "Malfoy's don't look a fright when there's company, Father," he drawled in perfect imitation of his grandfather. 

Draco gave an exaggerated shudder. "It concerns me how easily you are able to imitate him," he said as they walked towards the parlor. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will be by end of day Friday (possibly before then).
> 
> Please let me know what you think so far!

When they entered, Harry was sitting stiffly on the leather loveseat. His fingers were splayed out against his denims as though he was trying not to curl them into fists. He had just asked Dudley about his work. Draco took a seat next to his Husband and Scorpius sat cross legged on the floor. From this point he knew he would have a good view of everyone in the room. Dudley and Astrid were sitting the two chairs across from the loveseat, with the center table between them. 

“I work for a non-profit. The office is just outside of London proper. My wife’s sister started it in ‘97. I began volunteering in January of ‘99 and became an employee after the first month,” Dudley replied. His words seemed hesitant, as though he was trying to speak carefully and not stumble over them. “I met my wife there, actually. We had a,” he glanced quickly at his daughter and then back to Harry, “somewhat quick dating period, and married in the Spring of 2000.”

Harry quirked an eyebrow at that but didn’t say anything more than, “What kind of non-profit?”

Dudley cleared his throat, shifting on the leather chair where he was seated. “It’s called Speak and Seek. We-” he broke eye contact and looked at the table which was now holding several cups of tea. “We, counsel kids who are caught bullying in school.”

Harry didn’t reply, but Scorpius saw something dangerous flash in his eyes. He was used to seeing that look when Harry was talking about a particularly difficult arrest at work. He had rarely seen it when Harry was speaking with family. 

“Will you need to counsel yourself then?” Draco's cold voice cut in. “For what happened at the door with my son, I mean.” He was seated on the couch with one arm along the back, his fingers just barely grazed against Harry’s shoulder. To anyone else he would appear casual, but Scorpius could see his tense shoulders. He knew his Father was holding back. 

Dudley looked nothing short of a scolded child. His lips pressed together in a thin line. “No,” he said gently, then turned to Scorpius, “I’m sorry,” he said. “I lost my temper with you. I know it was your intention to get me to leave Harry alone, not to get a rise out of me. Harry told me that people come looking for him a lot and that you tend to be protective.” He glanced back at Harry, “It’s easy for me to forget how famous he is in this- in- here,” he finished awkwardly. 

“In the Wizarding World,” Draco offered, his voice a bit kinder than before. 

Scorpius didn’t really care about the apology. He was protective of Harry but he'd also been trying to get a rise, and he couldn’t bring himself to feel very bad about it. His eyes flitted from Dudley to Astrid. However, this girl had certainly piqued his interest, and he would need to smooth things over if he wanted her to be around more. He noticed her cheeks turned a gentle shade of pink as his eyes lingered on her. He looked back at Dudley with a smile, “No hard feelings,” he said easily, “I probably should have asked your name before trying to send you away.” 

“I’m sorry,” Harry said, though he sounded anything but sorry. He was the picture of incredulous when he asked, “You work to help kids who have been bullied?”

Dudley flinched at the question. “Sort of. We have counselors who work with kids who have been bullied. I work with the kids who have done the bullying.” He sighed heavily before continuing, “After you saved our family, Mom sent me to therapy. It took some time but I started to realize how awful I had been to you, and to some of the other kids at my school. I realized that I didn’t want to be that person anymore and started to make some major changes. Eventually, my therapist told me about Speak and Seek, and asked if I wanted to volunteer there to help bullies find better ways to communicate.” He looked at his cousin, waiting for a reply. When Harry simply picked up his tea cup and took a drink, Dudley continued, “I wanted to make sure that kids on both sides were getting what they needed to stop bullying all together."

There was a heavy silence in the room as Harry seemed to digest this information. He took another sip of his tea and then set the mug back down on the table. “Ok,” he said as though it were the final word. “What questions do you have for me about Hogwarts?” he asked. 

Dudley seemed to relax for the first time since he’d appeared at the door. He turned to his daughter and said, “Go ahead, Jellybean.”

Astrid took a deep breath, “I would like to know where to get my books for school. I want to start reading them as soon as possible. Dad said something about pointy hats and cloaks, should I order some of those from Etsy? He also said that you had a wand, where can I get mine? How do I get to the school? I can’t find any information about it online. Am I allowed to bring my laptop? Dad also said that you had an owl, will I get one of those? Does it have to be an owl or any animal?” she paused to take a breath. 

_A Ravenclaw then_, Scorpius thought. 

“Er,” Harry said. 

Draco chuckled, “We will have to introduce you to Mrs. Granger, I think you two will get along very well,” he said. “For now though, Scorpius, do you want to field some of those questions for her?”

Astrid looked expectantly at Scorpius and he gave her a small smile. “Of course, Father,” he said. “Let’s see, most of what you’re looking for will be at Diagon Alley. You can buy your books there, and you are allowed to read as much as you like before school starts. You will be fitted for robes as well. You are welcome to order from Etsy, I know that some of the other students have, but during class you have to wear the uniform. Honestly, we wear mostly muggle fashion when we are off grounds and on the weekends,” he motioned to his own clothes, a pair of well fitted jeans and a dark gray button down shirt. “You can wear custom robes from Etsy at some of the dances we have if you want. Your wand can come from a couple of different shops but I recommend Olivander’s. His shop is here in London and he makes the finest wands in the Wizarding World.” He paused to give her a sad smile, “You won't be able to use it until school starts, there are laws against underage magic.” 

Draco cut in, “Unless you are being supervised, and in a Wizarding home.” Astrid glanced over at him, seeming to briefly study his face, before looking back to Scorpius. 

“Don’t bother bringing your laptop,” Scorpius continued, “or your cell phone. They won’t work at Hogwarts. You will need an owl, or some kind of animal. There is a list of approved options, I personally have a falcon.”

“Geez Harry,” Dudley said, staring at Scorpius, “mighty smart boy you’ve got here. Most adults can’t keep up with Astrid’s questions when she gets on a roll like that.” 

Harry smiled affectionately at Scorpius, “He is smart,” he said. 

“Malfoy’s are skilled at information retention,” Draco drawled. He looked at Astrid then, “I bet those answers only gave rise to more questions, didn’t they?” The girl blushed, looking chastised. “It doesn’t bother us Astrid,” Draco said softly, “curiosity is a sign of intelligence.” 

“It would be safe to assume I had more questions,” she replied with a smile, though her cheeks were still pink. 

Dudley huffed a laugh, “There’s no end to the list of questions with this one. You wouldn’t be able to answer them all by the time school starts, much less over a cuppa.” 

Draco hummed in response and gave Harry a quick glance before turning his attention back to the girl. “Astrid, how would you like to stay with us during the weekends over Summer break?” he asked.

Scorpius watched Harry’s eyes go wide at the offer. "Draco…" Harry said, hesitating. 

Draco continued, “I’m sure Scorpius would be willing to help you get set up for Hogwarts, he just finished attending his first year, after all.” 

Harry’s eyes narrowed and turned suspiciously on Scorpius. People often accused Harry of being oblivious, but that wasn’t really true. When Harry was focused on something he was obsessive, to the point that he usually didn’t notice what was going on around him. He was just dedicated really. When he was working on a case, or trying to teach something, all of his attention went to it. However, he wasn’t Head Auror just for that famous scar, and when he was at home he kept a close eye on his favorite obsession, Draco Malfoy. 

Scorpius wasn’t an obsession. He was Harry’s kid, they had established that when Harry bought the house. Being his kid, Scorpius knew that he was in a different category for Harry. The category was probably labled ‘children I will murder for, but also need to keep a disturbingly close watch on because they might be prone to trouble’ in Harry’s mind. Yeah, Scorpius was definitely in that category, along with Teddy Lupin. Because of this, he was not surprised that Harry was suspicious of him. 

Scorpius offered what he hoped looked like a boyish smile, "You always say that some exposure before your first day would have helped you. Besides, she's your niece, don't you want to be around for the first chocolate frog card she gets?" 

Astrid spoke up before Harry could respond. She had been watching the exchange closely. "Thank you for the offer. I would really love to get to know you, Uncle Harry, and your family. I'd also like to learn as much as I can before school starts, I don't want to be behind." She looked at Dudley, "Would that be ok with you Dad?" 

Harry and Dudley seemed to know when they were beaten. They said 'ok' at the same time. 

* * *

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Future chapters will be longer, just so you know :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Next chapter will intro Teddy 💕
> 
> Say hi @dracos.tealsuit on Instagram

Astrid spent the next two days wishing for time to move faster. She begged her parents to let her go to Harry's house on Friday night instead of Saturday morning. Thursday afternoon Dudley text Harry requesting Astrid’s early arrival, she knew that she had a little over 24 hours to kill before she got more answers to her questions. She tried to do some research in preparation but it was starting to feel pointless. There wasn’t any information online about Hogwarts specifically, nor was there any easily located information about what she had heard Draco call the Wizarding World. She was able to link ideas from various fantasy stories together to gather enough information for the ever growing list of questions she was accumulating. 

However, it was clear that she wasn’t going to get very many answers until she was looking at references from the actual magic users, be it a book or a person. So, in the end, she decided to distract herself with friends and video games. Natalie, a friend she had since she was seven, was the only one she talked to about where she was headed for the weekend. Natalie's family had move to Italy last year, but the girls kept in contact through Skype and made time to game nearly every weekend. 

“So this is just some long lost family that your Dad decided to contact?” Natalie’s question came casually through the headphones. They were playing Tekken Tag Tournament 2 online, Natalie was far better at the game, and she was currently playing her favorite character, Devil Jin. Astrid tried to focus, tried to get her fingers to move fast enough to block and kick at the same time. She briefly entertained the idea of blaming the character, Asuka Kazama, for her failings, but she’d watched plenty of people kick ass with her on YouTube. 

“Sort of,” she said when the match ended. “He went to some fancy private school that I’m supposed to be attending in September. Dad just wants me to get some information from him so that I don’t walk in blind.” Astrid and her Dudley had gone over this back story on the way home from Harry’s so she could talk about it with friends. 

“Isn’t it going to be weird hanging out with your- what did you call him? Your Uncle?”

A box lit up on the screen indicating that Natalie was still waiting for Astrid to pick her next combatant. Astrid chose Ganryu because she liked to see his fat jiggle, and if she was going to be dominated in the ring she might as well get a laugh from it. 

“Technically he’s my 1st cousin once removed,” Astrid replied. “He’s not the only one at the house though. He’s married to a guy, Draco, and they have a son from Draco’s first marriage who is 12. So, I will be with all of them.” 

“Is he cute?”

The question threw her off, “Is who cute?”

“Any of them,” Natalie said, curiosity lacing the words. She was 13, and never seemed to have any qualms with age or gender when it came to physical attraction. 

Astrid paused, thinking about the three of them, she could feel her cheeks heat up. Obviously, Scorpius had caught her eye, he was practically a Justin Bieber clone. His Father was just as good looking, and Astrid wasn’t immune to the appeal of him sitting next to Harry when they had talked, even with the two of them being 20 years her senior. Their contrast had made for a complimentary aesthetic, the kind you see in GQ ads where they pair a dark skinned rugged mess with some buttoned-up clean and pretty blonde. 

She cleared her throat, “They aren’t awful to look at,” she said, trying to come off casual. 

Natalie hummed through the headset, she could always see through Astrid’s facade. “You have to send me some pictures,” she said.

“I can’t...” 

“Don’t be selfish, it’s the least you can do. It’s not like you’re going to have to share them,” Natalie giggled, “except with each other, I guess.” 

Astrid blushed furiously, thankful she was alone in her room. 

Finally, Friday evening came. After dinner, she pulled on her ankle boots, said goodbye to Joanna, her mom, and hopped in the car, not even attempting to hide her excitement. 

“All right Jellybean,” Dudley said as he adjusted to car closer to the curb in front of Harry's house, “mind your manners while you’re here and have fun. Remember to text me if you need anything.” 

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, “I will Dad, don’t worry.” She opened the door and stepped out onto the street, pulling her backpack over her right shoulder. She walked around the car to the sidewalk, slowing to a stop when she heard the car window open behind her. She turned back around to see her Dad looking anxiously at her from the driver’s side. She prayed he wasn't upset by the length of her skirt, it wasn't short, but it wasn't necessarily modest either. 

"OK Dad?" 

“Don’t leave the house without Harry, ok? There are things in this- this place-” he looked nervous, which Astrid wasn’t used to seeing, and his words jilted together as he spoke, “just remember what we talked about.” 

She did remember what they had talked about. He’d sat down with her last night and told her a terrifying story about some sort of spirit that sucked away all of his happiness on a playground when he was a teenager. When he got to the part where Harry was in trouble for saving him, he nearly cried. 

Astrid leaned in to pat his hand, which was now gripping the steering wheel instead of his normal casual hold. “I told you I won’t go anywhere unsupervised, and I will keep my phone with me, ok?” she waited for him to nod before continuing, “I will see you on Sunday at 10am and we can go to family brunch.”

That seemed to reassure him. Astrid went to the door, knowing that her Dad wouldn’t pull away until she was safely inside. She rang the bell and waited for barely a breath before the door opened and she was welcomed in by Harry Potter. 

Once they were inside Harry tapped at a bracelet, it was a broad strip of gold that was pressed flat and thin, covering 5 centimeters on his left wrist. She eyed it and then up at him expectantly, causing Harry to smile. 

“It’s like texting,” he said. “We use it instead of cell phones. Your phone will work here, but it won’t work at Hogwarts. My friends and I didn’t want our kids going to that school without a way to talk to us. So, we designed these bracelets for the family to be able to communicate.” 

“Can you show me how it works?” she asked. 

He leaned down to show her the bracelet. “I think of who I want to send a message to,” he said and tapped the gold with his thumb and the word Scorpius appeared, “then I think of what I want it to say,” he tapped with his middle finger, the words shifted and said -_ come downstairs- _then disappeared. “The message shows up on the bracelet that Scorpius is wearing.”

“What gave you the idea?” She could hear people coming down the stairs to her left. 

“Hermione, one of my best friends, created the charm when I was in school. We used it on galleons at the time,” he pulled a coin from his pocket and passed it to her, “it’s Wizard money. But, I lost mine a few times, so I made something that I could strap on. Draco wanted it to be fashionable, of course, so he made the final design.” He turned his wrist over to show how the gold tapered down until both sides met, hooking into a silver dragon clasp. She watched in fascination as the dragon wings spread lazily and then folded back in on themselves.

“Welcome back Astrid,” Draco spoke behind her and she turned to find him and Scorpius giving her the same small smile. 

She fought a blush, “Hello, Mr. Malfoy,” she said, returning the smile. 

“There’s a bracelet just like that one waiting in your room,” Draco said, “Scorpius can show you there. When you’re finished putting your things away, come down and have some chocolate with us.”

On the way up the stairs Astrid let her eyes drift along the banister, which was covered in engraved carvings of lilies. As she moved up the flowers bloomed to match her step. When she reached the last step she looked up to see Scorpius watching her with curious grey eyes. He looked good, even if he was wearing joggers and a t-shirt. She bit her cheek, hoping it would stop her from blushing, then said, "Are all wizard houses this fancy? Or is it just this one?"

Scorpius smiled and Astrid took a firm grip on the banister at the site. "We have some money," he admitted, "but magic can make things easy for anyone. Even poor wizards live fairly well off." He turned and motioned to a door, "That's my room," then pointed to the next door, "here's the loo and shower," and finally, motioned down the hall, "and that's you."

She looked at the room across from Scorpius' where a yellow badger was painted, "What about that one?" 

"That's Teddy, he's Harry's godson, and he's some level of cousin to my Father," he replied. "You'll meet him tomorrow."

The first thing Astrid noticed about her room was the size of it. If this was a guest room she guessed that the house had some sort of magic done on it to look small from the outside. When she asked, Scorpius told her that it was a charm for the Muggles, but you could see the true size of it from the Wizarding entrance. Apparently Draco had refused to let Harry make it look like they lived "in a hovel."

She set down her stuff and opened the wardrobe, then cast a cautious look back at Scorpius before she stepped inside. 

"What are you doing?" he asked from the door as Astrid pushed gently on the back wall of the wardrobe. 

"Just checking for something," she said lightly, then stepped back out. 

Scorpius looked like he was holding back a comment. Astrid smiled, "Can you show me some magic?" 

He grinned, touched his bracelet a couple times, and said, "Father says he can't come up now but you can see some when we go back down. However, if you dump your clothes into that wardrobe there is a charm that will cause them to hang themselves up for you."

Astrid watched delightedly as her clothes floated up and wrapped themselves on the hangers. Afterwards Scorpius caught her wrist and clasped on the bracelet that matched his own. He smiled and touched his with a thumb and then his finger. Her wrist went a little warm and she looked down to see the words, -_ do you like your room?- _on the bracelet. 

She glanced back up with a smile, "So I just touch it with my thumb?" 

"Yes, it's charmed to your magical signature."

She touched with her thumb thinking of the boy in front of her and saw his name, then with her finger, -_ I love it- _ she wrote. She looked up to see it flash along his bracelet but nothing was there. Her eyebrows drew together, "Why didn't it work?"

"It did," he assured her, "my bracelet is set to private, so only I can see the messages coming in or going out. Yours is too. Harry had his on public so you could see how it worked."

When they were finished they walked back down the hall to the staircase. Astrid paused in front of Scorpius' room, "Would it be too weird for me to look at your wardrobe?" she asked. 

He cocked his head at her, "Are you just looking for a reason to see my room?" 

"No," she answered. _ Though it is a benefit. _

He laughed, bemused, and strode to his door. Astrid noticed that he walked with the same elegance as Draco and wondered if it was natural or if he'd been trained to move that way. "All right," he said, opening the door, "have at it." 

She moved to enter the room but stopped when he stayed in the doorway. "You have to tell me," he said, "what you're doing in there first."

She blushed, not sure if it was his proximity or having to admit her quest. Lifting her chin, she said, "I will tell you after."

"Deal," he replied, a little too quickly. She realized he'd been expecting that, and his goal would be reached either way. 

_ I wonder if this is what my aunt means when she says that boys are trouble, _she thought. 

When she came out of the wardrobe she told Scorpius that she was looking for Narnia and briefly described how Lucy had gotten in for her first visit. She half expected him to laugh and treat her like a child but he didn't, he just said, "When you meet Hermione you should ask her about that," and went downstairs. 

"Wait," she called after him, her heart beating rapidly, "are you saying there is access to Narnia?" 

He flashed her an over the shoulder smirk, "I'm not saying anything."


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpius woke up to his wrist growing warm. Usually he took off the messaging device before bed, but Astrid had stayed up texting him until after midnight so he’d left it on. He glanced at his wrist to see the message she just sent. 

-_ are you up yet- _

** _-no. I'm still asleep. It's 7am-_ **

_ -I want to look at your books before we leave so I know what to buy- _

** _-we aren't leaving till after Teddy gets here-_ **

_ -I know. That only gives me a few hours- _

** _-we should do it after breakfast-_ **

_ -please please please please- _

** _-ok, since you’re willing to beg-_ **

_ -I'm at you're door- _

Scorpius sighed at that and said, "Come in." 

The door opened and Astrid peeked in, her eyes quickly scanning the room before landing on Scorpius. He was still in bed, covered in his blankets and surrounded by the pillows he'd tossed around for comfort last night. He looked her over. She was in jeans today with a black t-shirt that had a print of silhouette boys playing instruments with the word FUN written across it in gold letters. Her hair was wet, making it look a darker red. 

“Morning Pi,” she said, walking close to the foot of his bed. 

Scorpius huffed a laugh, “No. We are not doing that nickname.”

“Please?” Astrid said with big, hopeful, dual colored eyes, and then pushed her bottom lip into a pout.

He scoffed in response, “If you’re going to pout like that you should slump your shoulders a bit, right now your body language isn’t showing any defeat.” He slumped his shoulders forward and hung his head, then looked up at her through his lashes and said, “Please?” letting his voice break at the end of the word. 

Astrid rewarded him with a brilliant and fast spreading blush, he bit his cheek to prevent a triumphant smile. “You could also offer a reason for me giving in to what you want. I find that logic, or something that appears to be logic, works more effectively on those who are practiced in the art of reading people.” 

“Is that what you do with Draco?” 

Scorpius laughed, “_Merlin _. That’s different. I try a lot of things on my father and they very rarely work. Sometimes he rewards me for the effort, but he’s never fooled. In general, if I really want something from him, I go with straight honesty.”

“All right,” she said, “I want to call you Pi because it's my favorite number."

"I see, and am I your favorite person?" 

"Not yet," she replied with a cheeky grin, "but you might be if you let me have my way."

"I'll think about it," he said, then motioned to the bookcase, "Go on then." 

"Thank you!" she said. 

Scorpius could feel a smile on his lips when he heard her excitement. He spent the next two hours answering her questions about the books, which ones she would need, and anything else that she thought of along the way. 

A little after 9am Astrid looked down at her wrist and said, "Oh!" She jumped up and opened the bedroom door, peering into the hallway and saying, "I'm here, Uncle Harry." 

Scorpius cringed and sat up. He hadn't done anything wrong, but he was definitely wearing only boxers under all these blankets and pillows. He briefly considered what to do if Harry asked. He wouldn't lie outright, he'd tried that when he was younger and it never seemed to work. Distraction was best with Harry, he would do that if needed. 

Harry stepped into the room, "Morning Scorp," he said. Then seeing him in bed sans shirt he raised a questioning eyebrow at him. 

Scorpius shrugged and gave an apologetic smile, "She was up at 7 sending me messages about books." He motioned to the 3 piles still on the floor, "I'm guessing you went through something similar in the forest with Hermione?" 

Harry seemed to relax at that, saying, "I think there's something wrong with their brains," he looked fondly at Astrid, "can't turn it off long enough to sleep a proper 8 hours."

She beamed at him, "Studies show that many great minds only slept 5 hours a night. Currently I still need 6 and half to stay chipper." Her voice always seem to reach a new level of sweetness when she was talking to Harry. Scorpius watched the two of them carefully and thought that, possibly, this girl was the first true hybrid he'd ever met. The hat sorting for her might take a bloody hour. 

Harry grinned and put his arm around her shoulder, "Come on, let's get breakfast started while the Malfoy boys get themselves proper for the day." He glanced back at the bed, winked, and said, "Twenty minutes Scorp."

_ Should have known he wouldn't have to even ask me, _he thought as he hopped off his bed. 

***

When Teddy arrived Scorpius watched with great amusement as Astrid charmed him with compliments, stating that all boys in the wizarding world must be jealous of his hair, not to mention his other attributes. Then she asked if she could touch it while it changed colors to see if it felt any different. Because Teddy was, like most hufflepuffs, a complete sucker for physical affection, he gave in easily and all but nuzzled against her hand. Scorpius considered her statement as he watched her fingers card through locks that shifted from Weasley red to deep turquoise. She was probably right, he realized, most boys -_ and girls- _ must be jealous of his hair. Obviously Scorpius didn't feel any envy, he was a Malfoy after all, he had no reason to. 

Once it was clear that she had Teddy's favor she leaned in close as though she was sharing a secret, and said, "I know it's a bit odd, but would you mind if I take a look at your wardrobe."

Teddy gave her a nervous smile and then looked to Harry for guidance. Harry shrugged looking just as confused as his godson. Teddy looked back at Astrid and said, "OK…. Just don't take anything out."

As he watched her bound up the stairs to the room, Scorpius stepped over to Teddy and gently knocked his shoulder against the other boy's. "Isn't she great?" Scorpius asked with a broad grin, "Father got her for me."

Teddy gave him a sharp look, "We have talked about how people are not gifts, Scorp," he admonished. When Scorpius didn't offer an apology he continued, "Do you know what she's doing in there?"

"Looking for Narnia." 

"Oh. Ok. Should I tell her-" 

"I already told her to talk to Hermione about it."

Astrid came back down without commenting on the wardrobe and asked Harry if they could go shopping. 

After Harry gave an _ extensive _ lecture about pronunciation, and had Astrid say the words aloud 3 times, they took the floo to Diagon Alley. At Olivander's they went through seven wands before Astrid found one that agreed with her. It was vine wood with unicorn hair at the core, which didn't mean much to Scorpius, but he did catch a knowing glance between Harry and Draco. 

Next they made their way to the Magical Menagerie where Scorpius spent 20 minutes patiently explaining to Astrid why she couldn't have a dragon instead of a bird. Eventually, he convinced her to get a Merlin Falcon, because she loved their blue color. 

Teddy offered to stay and get the falcon supplies so Astrid could move on to robes. 

Madam Malkin’s wasn't crowded this time of year, usually the worst of it was August. Because of that, Astrid and Scorpius were both able to get walk in appointments for robes. When the attendant tried to move Scorpius to a different room he felt Astrid's hand slip into his and tug him back to her. 

"Pi-" she started, then looked at the floor. Scorpius nearly mentioned that they hadn't agreed on that nickname, but realized he could feel her hand tremble and knew something was actually scaring her. 

"Hey," he said softly, slipping a finger under her chin to lift it. She looked up at him and he realized he was easily a head taller than her. "What's up?" 

"My Dad," her words were barely a whisper, "he told me about these things that take away happiness. I'm-" she paused again not meeting his eye, "I'm not supposed to be alone." 

_ Dementors. Of all the things to tell her about! How did Dudley even know about them? _he thought. 

He squeezed her hand with his, "Yeah. Ok. I can stay. They can put up a barrier to keep our innocent eyes safe," he said with a smirk. Scorpius had never really noticed how dim lit Madam Malkin’s was until he watched in fascination as Astrid's smile lit up the whole damn shop. 

_ I wonder if this is what Aunt Pansy means when she says that girls are trouble, _he thought. 

***

Scorpius and Astrid headed toward the exit when Scorpius heard a suspiciously familiar voice. He tugged on her shirt and they went down a hallway to the left. 

"Draco," he heard Harry say, and immediately stopped walking. He'd only heard that breathy moan once before and had no desire to repeat the lesson. He put a hand up to stop Astrid who looked at him and mouthed, _ what's wrong? _

He leaned in, "If we go any further we are going to get an eyeful of your uncle and my father." This statement was punctuated with a pleasure filled moan drifting through the hallway. He tried to figure out if he'd rather believe it to have come from Draco or Harry. 

The smirk she gave when he pulled back to see her face was nothing short of Slytherin, "I know," she whispered and then continued around the corner. 

Scorpius sighed and followed, keeping his eyes to the ground. When he turned the corner he was surprised to be looking at two sets of sneakers rather than just one. He looked up to see Astrid and Teddy straining to look into the room without getting caught. He tapped Teddy's shoulder and the boy leaned back to him. 

"What are you doing?!" he whispered fiercely over the increasing sound of heavy breathing. 

Teddy grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. "Learning," he said. 

_ Fucking Hufflepuffs. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard chapter to write, but I think I got down what I wanted to. Please let me know what you think if you're so inclined :)

Astrid noticed her eyes were getting a touch blurry and pulled the book a little closer. She was laying on her stomach in bed reading through _Hogwart’s A History_. When she’d first looked at the chapter index and spotted Harry’s name near the end she decided to start there. Now that an hour had passed and it was close to midnight, she wasn’t sure if that had been the best plan. She was only through the first half of 6 sections, and so far he’d already had to take out a giant snake, fight off Dementors, and was entered into a tournament which forced him into fighting a dragon. Worst of all, there was next to no information on the dragon. 

She flipped to the back of the book to see if the index had more information about Dementors, as she was fairly certain these were the creatures that her Dad had encountered. Instead, her eyes landed on the term 'Death Eater'. There was a picture next to it, a tattoo on someone's arm. She looked it over closely and realized why she recognized it, she'd seen the faded symbol on Draco's arm the first time they met, and again at breakfast when he was wearing a short sleeved t-shirt. 

_**Death Eaters**\- name given to the most ardent followers of Lord Voldemort. The group primarily consisted of wizards and witches who were radical pure-blood supremacists who practised the Dark Arts with reckless abandon, malevolence and without regard to or fear of wizarding law._

_Lord Voldemort used this select group of wizards and witches during both the First and Second Wizarding Wars, employing them as his elite force. They often wore black hoods and masks with snake-like eye slits to cover their faces. The Death Eaters were considered Lord Voldemort's inner circle and had the Dark Mark burned into their left forearms. When Voldemort touched one of them, each of the Death Eaters felt it, signalling for them to Apparate to their leader's side.*_

Astrid felt her heart speed up as she read. She flipped back to the last section of the book and scanned the pages for Draco's name. She had just spotted it when her wrist went warm and she looked down to see a message from Harry. 

_ **-I see that your light is still on, trying to pull an all night study session over summer break?-** _

_-this book isn’t going to read its self- _

_ **-any chance for a break? I made tea-** _

Astrid chewed her lip. She wanted to keep reading but she also really wanted to spend some time with Harry. They hadn't talked much during the day because Astrid was focused on Scorpius and Teddy. She closed the book and headed downstairs. 

_-be right down-_

When Astrid walked into the kitchen she found Harry standing by the granite counter pouring tea from a kettle. He was in pajama bottoms and a long sleeved shirt made from thin material. 

"Hullo," she said softly. He smiled when he looked up at her, and she found herself smiling back. He motioned toward a chair and she sat down at the kitchen table, it was small but the wood was solid the outer edge had Nordic runes carved into it. She ran her fingers along them, tracing the patterns. 

"How are you adjusting to the Wizarding world, Astrid?" Harry asked, setting the tea mugs on the table and sitting in the chair across from her. 

"I love it so far," she replied, frowning down at her tea. Affronted, she looked at him and asked, "Is this Chamomile?" 

"It is," he replied easily. 

"There's no caffeine in Chamomile tea."

Harry chuckled, "You didn't really think I would give you caffeine this late. You have to be up at a reasonable hour tomorrow."

She eyed him for a moment and decided to pick her battles. "Where's Draco?" 

"He's in bed," Harry answered, then his mouth tilted into a lopsided smile. "He's not exactly speaking to me at the moment. We had a bit of a disagreement."

Astrid looked down at the table, "Oh," she said. 

"It's nothing to worry about. We have them all the time. Part of loving a Malfoy, I think."

"Was it-" she closed her mouth, unsure if she should broach the subject. Looking up to meet his eye and letting her curiosity get the better of her _-again-_ she asked, "was it about the war?" 

Harry tilted his head, holding her gaze , "No," he said cautiously, "it was about getting caught snogging at the robe shop by one of the attendees."

Astrid promptly choked on her tea and had a coughing fit while Harry smirked, leaned back in his chair and waited for her to recover. 

"Which you know about," he said as she remembered how to breathe, "because Teddy told me that you two saw us."

Astrid was shocked. _What kind of teenager tells an adult something like that! _

She felt her cheeks heat up but lifted her chin in defiance. "I'm not admitting to anything," she said. "Besides, what I saw at Madam Malkin’s went a bit past my understanding of the term snogging."

Harry chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that filled the space between them, "Well that may have been the perspective," he replied. Then, his eyes turning serious, he said, "Draco and I haven't argued about the war in a very long time. Why did you ask about that?" 

"Oh," she said, "I was just reading _Hogwart's a History_ and stumbled across a picture of that tattoo on his arm. He was- did he fight against you?" 

Harry hummed in response and took another sip of his tea. After a few minutes he said, "Honestly Astrid it's a long story, one I'm not a fan of reliving. I will tell you a couple of things about it though, ok?" 

She nodded. 

"We fought on different sides, yes, and it was terrible. The war was terrible and people close to me died. Draco and I found each other well after the war and we made peace a long time ago," he said. Then, after a moment, he added, "Even during the war he saved my life, though don't tell him I said that. He won't back me up, he'll just claim selfish motives."

Astrid could tell he didn't want to give more details and she had learned from interviewing WWII soldiers, for a project in 3rd grade, that it was difficult to discuss a war directly if you'd had to fight in it. However, that didn't mean she wanted to give up this opportunity to talk to Harry. 

"How did you reconnect?" she asked. 

It was the right way to go because Harry smiled, "Honestly?" he asked before continuing without an answer, "Draco was a suspect in a case that I was assigned to."

Astrid felt her eyes go wide, "What!? Was he guilty? What did they accuse him of?" 

"He used to live in this ridiculous mansion called Malfoy Manor. Very posh, marble everything," he waved a hand dismissively, "you get the idea. Anyway, during the war a lot of awful shit happened there. The Christmas after the war Draco and his Father got into a major row about Draco getting married to a pure-blood, producing an heir, working in politics, and rebuilding the family name. Draco-"

"Wait," Astrid interrupted, "pure-blood?" 

"Yeah it's this ridiculous idea that," he thought for a moment seeming to choose his words, "It's like being really racist against everyone who's not the same as you. Which Draco isn't- he doesn't believe that anymore- but he was raised that way. He saw a lot of terrible things during the war, and it changed him."

"OK, go on," Astrid said eagerly. 

"Draco wanted to take a few years off," Harry said, "figure himself out, marry for love, get away from England. Lucius, his Father, wouldn't listen. He insisted Draco rebuild the family name. On Boxing day he presented three girls to Draco for him to choose to marry."

Astrid felt angry on his behalf, she didn't believe anyone should be forced into a marriage. She hated the way marriage was touted as some cure all. Her parents had married too young, and spent years working hard to build a good relationship. 

"So," Harry continued, "that night Draco planted portkeys -which are items that transport you to a different continent- at the dinner table. When his parents were whisked away to New Zealand he had the manor to himself for nearly 24hrs, before they would get their hands on a legal portkey to return home." Harry smiled so wide it nearly split his face, "Then he set fire to the whole place!"

"Oh my God!" Astrid gasped, her hands jerking to cover her mouth and causing a bit of tea to spill over the rim.

"Allegedly." The voice came from behind Astrid and she turned to see Scorpius in the archway of the kitchen. He was in silk pajama bottoms with a cotton t-shirt on and his hair was messy from sleep, but not a bird's nest. It looked on purpose messy. Astrid watched him stroll over to the table and snag Harry's tea. 

"My Father, allegedly, set fire to the manor. The charges were dropped," he repeated, giving Astrid a sleepy smile. "I think they could have found the real culprit if it wasn't for the shoddy Auror work," he said, turning fond eyes on Harry, "wouldn't you agree, Dad?" 

Astrid had never heard him use that term, 'Dad', and she was certain that he kept it reserved for special occasions. 

Harry was radiating affection when he responded to Scorpius, "Oh yeah, they assigned this complete tosser. Brand new to the force, no idea what he was doing," he said, chuckling. "I already told her that I was the Auror investigating. She asked how your Father and I reconnected."

Scorpius took another sip of Harry's tea and then handed him the cup. He turned back to Astrid, "The rest of the story is a wholesome saga about my Father getting married despite his outrageous tantrum, and managing to produce an heir," here Scorpius paused to bow, "you're all welcome. Then him and Astoria split up so she could pursue a modeling career stateside and Harry took my Father on a date like a perfect gentleman." He glanced suspiciously at Harry, "But I think they did a bit more than exchange contact information in that interrogation room, if I'm being honest."

Harry blushed, but didn't look away. 

Astrid stared at him for a moment, she could see the scar now, she'd seen it before but it held new meaning after what she'd read. There sat Harry Potter who grew up with her Dad, who fought monsters and outsmarted dragons, head of a wizarding police force. And yet he blushed, and laughed, and hugged Scorpius with such raw tenderness, she couldn't help but recognize that he was only a man. Which meant, several years ago, while living through those stories, he'd only been boy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Death Eater definition comes from:
> 
> https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Death_Eaters


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter :)  
I needed to put this in so I can get into the party where there will be some big things happening! Chapter 7 will be longer! 
> 
> Should have chapter 7 posted end of day Sunday!

By the 2nd weekend in July Scorpius realized the summer was moving too quickly. He was brewing Pepper Up potions for his father’s business during the week, weekly Quidditch games with Teddy and the Weasleys, keeping up with the reading list Hermione had set forth at the beginning of Summer, and spending his weekends with Teddy and Astrid. Though, to be fair, Astrid was more than willing to help keep him focused on the reading list. The moment Scorpius was done with a book he would pass it off to Astrid, which at least gave her a break from the Hogwarts textbooks she was burning through. Astrid liked to sit with him during potion-making on Fridays too, filling him in on her muggle life and asking a steady stream of questions about his brewing. 

Astrid.

He looked over at her, she was currently reading through a Charms book for 2nd years, curled onto the same couch as him. She sat sideways, her back against the tall armrest, the right side of her body pressed against the back of the couch with her feet propped against Scorpius’ left thigh. Since she’d taken his hand at Madam Malkin’s with no rebuff, Astrid had tested the boundaries of touching him and seemed to have come to the conclusion that she could touch Scorpius whenever the desire struck. He hadn’t done anything to stop her, nor had he touched back, other than accepting her hand. And touch she did. Nothing inappropriate, of course, but it did feel intimate. She would casually grab his hand, lay her head on his shoulder, touch his arm when she laughed, lay her head on his thigh. 

It was incredibly fucking distracting. Even just the balls of her feet pressing into his thigh as though she were a cat making soft bread pulled him from focus. Worst of all was Harry and Draco. Harry and the casual comments, ‘she’s just being nice’ or ‘you’re both too young to worry about it’ and ‘family should be affectionate.’ Versus Draco with his lifted eyebrow, ‘you have your hands full’ and ‘talk to your aunt.’ 

So he had asked Aunt Pansy last Tuesday when she had come by to meet with Draco. Pansy had not been encouraging. She’d smiled, pinched his cheek, and said, “You’re in very real danger Scorpius Malfoy, and it’s going to take years for you to figure it out.” 

Saturday morning brought with it the yearly invitations to Narcissa Malfoy’s birthday gala. In the kitchen, Draco was explaining to Harry why they needed to buy _ another _ set of brand new clothes for the party, while Harry rolled his eyes and smiled down at his breakfast. Teddy was pointedly ignoring them, eating his beans and reading the _ Prophet. _

Scorpius smiled at the familiar scene, it happened twice a year, once in July when they received invitations for his Grandmother’s birthday gala, and again in December when she threw an extravagant Christmas celebration. Draco insisted they show up in new robes for both events -or in this case clothes as Narcissa was requesting muggle attire- Scorpius knew that Harry thought it was ridiculous but he also knew that Harry would get everyone a new set of robes every week if it made Draco happy. They were ridiculous, honestly, ridiculous and happy. 

Scorpius sifted through the invitations on the table to pull his from the pile. His hand paused in midair when he spotted a name that he hadn’t expected. 

_ Astrid Potter-Dursley & Family _

_ Guest Room 2nd floor _

_ Malfoy - Potter residence _

_ London England _

“Um,” he said. This was not something he said very often. Even though he was raised with softened standards compared to the stringent traditions of his Father’s generation, there were some things that didn’t change. Bottom line, Malfoys do not say ‘um.’ So, it wasn’t surprising when Draco stopped talking and everyone in the kitchen turned to look at him. Scorpius picked up the invitation and handed it to Harry who stared at it, speechless, before handing it to Draco and dropping his face into his hands. 

“She can’t be serious,” Harry said, his voice coming out muffled and pleading through his hands. 

The pad of Draco’s thumb moved back and forth across the engraved letters, as though he hoped they would rearrange themselves into a new request. “I assure you,” he said, “she never sends out an invitation on accident. She is quite serious.” He sighed heavily and looked up at Scorpius, “Where is Astrid? Will you bring her in here so we can get a look at the inside of this, please?” 

“Yes, of course.” 

Astrid had gotten up early and gone into the cellar to look over the potions ingredients kept at the house. She thought it would help to be able to recognize the more common items quickly when she was watching me work, not to mention for class. When Scorpius came in to collect her she was standing before a shelf that held mostly jars of leeches, and Murtlap tentacles, and looking between her book and the bottles. 

“Hey.” 

She looked up from her book and smiled, “Morning,” she said. “Did you come to help?” 

Scorpius smiled back, but he could feel the smile was tight. He didn’t like this situation, this birthday invitation. There were too many variables. “We need you in the kitchen actually, there’s a letter for you.” 

Astrid tilted her head, causing red curls to fall over her shoulder, “Oh,” she said, closing her book and walking over to him. “Well, this should be interesting. I didn’t know I could get mail here. Let’s go open it,” she slipped her hand into his and pulled him over to the stairs. Despite feeling anxious, he smiled.

When they reached the kitchen Draco handed the invitation to Astrid and she stared at the front in confusion. She looked at Draco and asked, “Why does it say ‘Potter’?” 

“It’s a compliment,” Draco answered. “Sort of. She knows you are related to Harry, Harry is a powerful wizard and the Potter name holds a lot of weight. Dursley,” he paused and glanced at Harry, “doesn’t.” 

Astrid smirked, “Right,” she said. She looked back at the invitation and said to no one in particular, “So I’m a Potter now? Is that going to be a thing in the Wizarding World?”

Teddy, who had barely taken his eyes off of the _ Prophet_, spoke up with a lazy smile on his lips, “Is that really the last name you’re vying for in this house?” 

Astrid blushed, glancing briefly Scorpius who purposely bumped the table in front of him, causing Teddy’s pumpkin juice to shake and spill out of the cup onto the _Prophet_. Teddy grinned and spelled the paper dry. “I apologize,” he said, unrepentant, causing both Astrid and Scorpius to laugh, “Honestly, Astrid, I don’t suggest going by that name, it will only cause an uproar. People will know who you are either way, but with your own last name, you will be spared some of the press houndings.” 

“I agree,” Harry said, his voice gentle and sincere, “I would be happy to have you use my last name if I thought it would serve you, but it won’t. However, I recommend you let Narcissa Malfoy call you whatever she pleases as long as it’s polite, which this is.” He sighed heavily and added, “Let’s see the damage then, how much of the family did she request?”

Astrid agreed and tore open the envelope. Five invitations spilled onto the table:

_ Astrid Potter-Dursley _

_ Dudley Dursley _

_ Joanna Dursley _

_ Vernon Dursley _

_ Petunia Dursley _

The weighted silence that fell over the room was broken a few minutes later by the scraping of Harry’s chair against the tile as he stood and left the room saying, “I will talk to Dudley tomorrow when he comes to pick you up. Scorpius and Teddy, will you please take Astrid shopping for this event? Get your outfits as well of course,” he said. Then he turned to Draco, “Come upstairs and remind me why I'm going to this party.”

Draco smirked and stood to follow Harry out of the room, pausing to lay a hand on Scorpius’ shoulder, “Make sure you pick good colors for us son, perhaps teal and copper.” 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just found out about the song Bad Guy from BE. 
> 
> I'm a little bit addicted to it...


	7. Chapter 7

On July 28th, a group of ten walked up the front drive to Malfoy Manor. Astrid glanced back at Scorpius and Teddy who were smiling and whispering to each other. Past them were her parents who looked fascinated by the grounds, walking hand in hand. Behind them were her grandparents, who seemed to cling to one another, lips pressed into matching frowns. They had been desperate for any reason to not attend this party and only acquiesced when Dudley had threatened to spend Thanksgiving with his wife’s parents instead of them. Petunia, Astrid’s grandmother, couldn’t bear the idea of another mother feeding her Dudley, so they had agreed to come. 

Astrid had been assured by both Draco and Harry that her grandparents would come to no harm at the party and that they would be allowed to leave quickly after dinner. She knew Narcissa Malfoy was trying to be gracious in inviting them, and she hoped their interactions wouldn’t be too uncomfortable. Her grandparents didn’t like to talk about Astrid’s new school, or magic, or Harry, or anything even remotely related to those three topics. Astrid hadn’t really cared, her Dad had always been guarded about his parents and she was never really alone with them. She knew that he didn’t want them to influence her decisions. 

She tugged gently at the copper sash around her waist, making sure it was properly snug, pulling in the fabric of her dress. The top was a teal satin that went up to her collar bone after the sash was a teal tool skirt with copper beading throughout. All of the boys were dressed in gunmetal grey suits, light teal button-ups, and copper ties. She had felt a bit jealous at how easy it was for boys to pick their outfits while she had to spend an hour trying not to hate every dress she tried on. When she’d found this one though, she felt it was worth it, this was the prettiest dress she’d ever been in. 

“Don’t tug on your clothes, Astrid,” Draco admonished. He was walking next to her on the left with Harry on his other side, who was talking with Andromeda. “People only need to do that when something doesn’t fit. Your dress was tailored.” 

Astrid looked up at him with a guilty smile, “I’ll try not to fidget." She considered him for a moment, he was pleasing to look at, just as attractive as Pi. Draco lacked the easy charm of his son, but still drew people in. She thought it might be his general dismissal. The public was always clamoring to get his attention, break through the indifference, catch a rare compliment from his lips. His endorsement of something certainly held weight. With his family though, he gave his affection freely, and Astrid had been delighted when he began to compliment her in earnest while they played a game of Wizard's chest last weekend. She could see why the press was still desperate for any scraps Draco and Harry tossed them for a story. 

Wanting to further engage him, she asked, "Isn’t this the manor you grew up in?” motioning to the building ahead. 

Draco gave a fleeting glance towards their destination, then looked back at her, “It is indeed.” 

She gave a wry smile, and whispered, “I’m surprised, I heard that someone burned it down.” 

His eyes flashed with amusement, “No. Someone set fires all throughout the place, in hopes of burning it down. But they didn’t take.” He looked at the manor again, saying, “This house has over three centuries of magic in it, I don’t think anything could take it down.” 

They reached the entryway and were greeted by an elf who was wearing the smallest tuxedo Astrid had ever seen outside of build-a-bear. His wide eyes swept over them before landing on Draco. “Master Malfoy,” he said, with a deep bow. "I will show your guests to the table, your mother would like a word with you before you're seated." 

No one seemed surprised by this, so Astrid assumed it was a regular occurrence as she watched Draco follow the elf over to his parents. She had seen pictures of them at the house, one on the mantle, and two in Pi's room. 

Once inside, the group was practically ambushed with a series of introductions and polite greetings. Astrid shook so many hands that she’d forgotten the first group of names she’d learned, and they hadn’t even left the foyer. When the greetings stopped she had a moment to take in her surroundings. The manor was incomparable. There were all of the things she’d been told to expect, pillars, marble, portraits, and high ceilings. It was the beauty that caught her off guard, the subtle fragrance from tastefully placed bouquets, fairie lights that changed color as she walked by. They were led into a ballroom room which had over 20 tables in it set for dinner and in the center was a harpist, his music sweet and drifting through the manor. Astrid tried to take in every detail as they all moved through the crowd of people. 

Draco returned with a smile before they were even directed to a table for dinner on the West side of the ballroom. Their table was set close to one of the winding staircases. Each of them looked for their name on the place cards and set their stuff down. The seating was well handled, going in a circle starting with Joana, then Dudley, Vernon, Petunia, Astrid, Scorpius, Draco, Harry, Teddy, and Andromeda. 

Everything about it was perfect, except for one minor detail. The table was too close to the staircase, so when everyone sat down Petunia and Vernon were slightly under the stairs, causing them to hunch forward uncomfortably. Astrid watched, curious, as Harry and Dudley both looked at the staircase and then each other. Eventually, Harry gave a small smile and sat down at the chair marked with his name, sitting up straight and taking a drink of his wine. 

Dudley looked as though he was trying not to smile, instead, he forced his face into a grimace. “Do you want to switch seats Mum?” he asked. 

Petunia glanced very briefly at Harry, then looked up at the staircase that was causing her to lean over her plate. She cleared her throat, and said, “This is fine Dudley.” 

Conversation was stilted until the third course, but by dessert, it had an easy flow. Even her grandparents were engaged in a conversation with her parents about their plans for the non-profit. Astrid leaned over to her left and spoke quietly to Scorpius, “Pi,” she whispered, pulling his attention from Harry and Draco’s Quidditch discussion. 

He looked over at her, “Yes,” he said, whispering back. 

“I need to try some of your dessert, it’s a different flavor than mine,” she said, with complete sincerity. 

He quirked an eyebrow, “And what will you give me for that?”

“I have to give you something for one bite?” She asked, under the table she took his hand and threaded their fingers together.

Scorpius smiled, “Absolutely. It’s delicious, so you better make it good.”

She smiled back, “I won't try to wake you up tomorrow until at least 8am. That’s an hour later than normal.” 

“Deal,” he said, nudging his dessert closer to her. 

The moment dinner was finished Scorpius and Teddy asked if they could go out to the manor's Quidditch pitch to fly brooms. Draco granted the request on grounds they take Astrid with them. Astrid kissed and hugged everyone at the table before leaving, even Andromeda, whom she'd only met for the first time last weekend, before she left with the boys. She wasn't sure how long they planned to stay, but she found it unlikely they would still be here when she returned. 

Traveling through the ballroom Astrid spotted Draco's parents again. She tugged at Scorpius' sleeve, the material of his shirt much softer than the suit jacket he'd left at the table. When he turned back to her she leaned in and said, "I will meet you out there. I want to do something first."

Scorpius shook his head, "No. Absolutely not. You can't wander around in the-" 

"I know," she said, cutting him off. All of them had given her a separate lecture about the dangers of being in the manor. She wasn't allowed to wander, talk to portraits, or look through any wardrobes. "I'm not going to do anything like that. I promise. I just want to use the loo, and maybe say hello to Hermione Granger," she finished with a sly smile. 

Scorpius studied her face for a moment, "You're lying." He said the words without any anger, just stated them as a fact. 

"How did you know?" she demanded. 

"I'm not telling you that," he said through his laughter. "Tell me what you're up to or I'll take you back to Harry."

She looked at the floor and mumbled, "I want to meet your Grandfather."

He leaned in, "I didn't quite catch that."

"Your Grandfather," she said clearly, "Lucius Malfoy. I want to meet him."

"All right," Scorpius said, "there's no reason to hide that from me, Astrid."

She felt her face flush and couldn't decide if it was because of the tone he was using or because she didn't know exactly why she'd lied about the introduction. "Sorry, Pi," she offered. 

He gave her a warm smile, "Don't apologize, just don't bother lying to me until you're more convincing than a Gryffindor." He turned and pulled her towards the table where his grandparents were sitting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully a new update will be ready by Wednesday! I know this one is later than my goal, but I have a schedule now! Wish me luck on keeping it :)


	8. Chapter 8

Scorpius had planned to wait patiently for his Grandmother to finish speaking with Daphne Greengrass, but as soon as Narcissa spotted him she cut the conversation short and beckoned Scorpius forward. Her dress was a midnight blue with diamonds sewn throughout the skirt in the shape of constellations. He spotted his namesake constellation near the top. Narcissa wrapped him in a hug and he whispered Happy Birthday to her. He pulled back and introduced Astrid, leaving off her last name all together rather than deal with that landmine.

Astrid was unfailingly polite, wishing a happy birthday and thanking Narcissa for the inclusion of her family at the party. Scorpius watched the interaction fondly, amused by the purposeful use of her natural charisma. It wasn’t until he received a pointed look from his grandmother that he realized he’d been smiling at the exchange. He fought not to blush, or react in any way really, under the weight of her knowing eyes. She’d always seem to know what he was feeling, even before he did. Scorpius was half convinced she didn’t even need  _ Legilimency,  _ but instead was a natural mind reader like the Muggles believed in. 

Fortunately for Scorpius, Astrid stole the attention back to herself with a cautious, “Hello, Mr. Malfoy,” directed at Scorpius’ Grandfather. Narcissa and Scorpius both looked over to see the interaction. 

Lucius regarded her briefly, his expression blank as fresh parchment. “Good evening,” he said. Shifting his gaze to Scorpius, he asked, “Is this a Weasley child?” 

Scorpius was startled into a laugh at the question, realizing that it was her red hair he was confused by. “No. No, this is Astrid, she’s Potter’s niece,” he said.

“I see,” Lucius replied, turning back to her. “It’s nice to meet you, Astrid,” he said, his voice thick with propriety, and let his eyes drift past her over the crowd. 

For a brief moment, Astrid didn’t say anything and Scorpius thought that might be the end of it. Then she stepped closer to Lucius and said, “Your wand is cedar right? Dragon Heartstring at the core?” 

Lucius’ grey eyes snapped to meet hers and his brows drew together ever so slightly, “That is not a question one asks while being introduced,” he said. 

Astrid smirked and Scorpius felt his blood run cold.  _ What is she doing? Why didn’t I ask her what she wanted before she came over here? _

“Fascinating wand core, they produce the most magical power, and are capable of strong loyalty to a wizard,” she looked at the cane in his hand where the wand was sheathed, “or witch,” she finished. 

Lucius looked almost appreciative at Astrid, as though she might not be completely beneath his notice. “I’ve found it to be favorable to me. It is interesting that you know any wand lore before your first year at Hogwarts. Are you set to be a Ravenclaw then?”

“That depends,” she replied easily. “I haven’t decided yet if I’d rather be in Slytherin.” She shot a cheeky glance at Scorpius, then asked Lucius, “Do Malfoy’s marry Ravenclaws?”

Scorpius fought yet another blush. Normally he didn't blush this often unless he was near his Aunt. He heard a chuckle from Narcissa and saw that even Lucius' lips tipped up ever so slightly when he replied, “I would prefer a Ravenclaw to a Gryffindor.”

Astrid smiled sweetly. “I have next to no chance being placed Gryffindor, so I’m not concerned with that. I prefer those who flaunt their power elegantly, to a brute show of force,” she said, holding his gaze. 

At this Lucius lifted an eyebrow, “If I didn’t know better, I would say that you want something from me, Astrid. Do you have some request I need to be aware of?” 

“Yes. More than one.” 

Teddy grabbed Scorpius' shoulder, yanking the boy's attention away from the interaction, and said, “Scorp, come on! The Weasley’s are on the pitch and we need you to finish out our team.” 

“It’s ok Pi,” Astrid said to him, “I only have a couple of questions. You can go.” 

Scorpius didn’t reply, feeling rather out of his element, and looked up at his Grandmother. “Go ahead, Scorpius,” Narcissa said, “Astrid will be fine here. She can come to find you when she’s finished talking to your Grandfather.” 

As he walked onto the pitch he couldn’t help but want the game to end quickly. He couldn't decide on why this was a bad idea, but he was fairly confident that those two shouldn't be together. Astrid would be ok though, - right?- she was with his grandparents. His grandparents were nice. Well, maybe nice was the wrong word. However, Lucius hadn't done anything to upset the Wizarding World for a long time. He still had connections with the press and people in political power, of course, because he was a Malfoy. But he had given his blessing for Harry Potter to marry his son, he gave to charity, he had even spoken more than two words to a Muggle-born. In fact! Scorpius had been witness to a full blown conversation between his grandfather and Hermione Granger when they she'd been writing a paper on Wizengamot corruption for her PHD.

See? Nothing to worry about. True… Astrid was a muggle, but she was also Potter's niece. She would ask him a bunch of questions but surely the girl had enough sense to not drive the man spare with all her questions. And even if she did ask too many questions, Lucius wouldn't do anything like curse her silent. Right? 

_ Oh Salazar. I'm going to be sick.  _

After half an hour Scorpius couldn't take it anymore. He landed heavily and tossed his borrowed broom to Cassius Warrington. 

"What are you doing?" Cassius asked. 

"I know you used to play," Scorpius said. "Do you mind taking over for me?" 

The man eyed him speculatively, "You have something to do that's more important than quidditch?" 

"Yes."

"Come on, what's got you leaving?" 

"It's honestly none of your concern."

Cassius rolled his eyes, "I bet you're just afraid."

Scorpius decided that Cassius was an idiot and beneath his desire to be polite. He channeled his bloodline and sneered at the man, "It's cute how you think I owe you an explanation. Do remember who's party you're currently attending," he said and walked away. 

Inside, Scorpius looked around at the guests, searching for Astrid. Unfortunately, the only redheads he could see belonged to Weasleys.

_ Don't panic,  _ he thought, as he started to panic. 

He walked quickly through the crowd until he reached Harry, who was talking with Blaise Zabini. 

_ Thank Merlin!  _

He reached Harry and rudely interrupted, saying, "I need to talk to you." 

Blaise gave Harry an understanding smile, "I'll see you at work," he said, and swaned away through the crowd. 

Seeing the look on the boy's face, Harry knelt down so they were eye level, "What's the matter Scorp?" 

"I can't find Astrid. I left her and went to play quidditch," he said, the words tumbling out, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I thought that-" 

Harry laid a hand on his shoulder, "Hey," he said softly, "it's ok. I'm sure she's still in the ballroom." 

Scorpius searched his face, trying to see if Harry meant it, or if he was just doing the parent thing. 

Harry pulled off his hand and tapped his wrist, "I'll send her a message. Try not to worry yet. I bet she'll respond quickly."

Scorpius watched Harry's wrist. 

** _-Astrid, we can't find you-_ **

The longest minute of his life passed before new words formed on the bracelet. 

- _ sorry Harry. Didn't mean to worry you- _

Scorpius felt his lungs resume their purpose, and sucked in a breath of relief. Watching Harry send another message. 

** _-no problem. Where are you?-_ **

_ -In the library with Mr. Malfoy- _

Harry looked over at Draco as if to double check he was still there, then looked back to the bracelet and stared at his wrist until the words disappeared. Finally, he looked up at Scorpius. "Does she mean Lucius?" 

Scorpius grimaced, and nodded, not trusting his voice. 

Harry stood up quickly, grabbed Draco without warning and drug him away from his conversation, whispering angrily and walking towards the library. Scorpius followed. 


	9. Chapter 9

  
  


Astrid stood rigid with her back against one of the many marble pillars in the library, her body thrumming with adrenaline. She tried to remember his instruction. She slowed her breathing, loosened the grip on the wand in her left hand and, forced the bar of tension in her shoulders to ease. Visualizing the wand movement she jumped out from the pillar and shouted, “ _ Everte Statum!”  _

Lucius cast a wordless  _ Protego  _ that deflected her incantation, sending it to hit a leather lounge chair and causing it to fly back a full meter and crash into a table. He watched it for a moment and then looked back at her with a small smile. 

Astrid lowered the wand and grinned openly, saying, “That-”

“What in Merlin’s name do you think you're doing!?” 

Astrid jumped at the sound of Harry’s voice. She had never heard him angry before. She even caught the subtle movement Lucius made to cast another  _ Protego,  _ before he turned to respond to Harry. 

“Harry, calm down,” Draco said, pulling at his husband’s forearm.

Harry turned to give Draco an incredulous look before addressing Lucius again, “What. Are. You. Doing.” 

Astrid opened her mouth to answer but saw Scorpius peer around his father and put a finger to his lips, indicating that she should just stay quiet for once. 

“Astrid wanted some information,” Lucius said, his voice even and steady, “so we came to the library. I let her borrow a few books,” he motioned to a pile of books near the door, “and then we were talking about which spells she should know before starting school.” 

This didn’t seem to ease Harry, judging by the scowl on his face, “And you decided to teach her a 5th-year DADA spell?” 

For some reason, this question seemed to relax Lucius, Astrid could even see the small smile back on his lips when he replied, “She’s been a pleasure to be around and I wanted to help. This is the same spell I was taught before school.” 

“It was for me too, Harry,” Draco said, tentatively changing his grip on Harry’s arm to a comforting caress. “That’s the spell I used on you in our first duel.” 

Harry sent Draco a sharp glare, “You approve of this? She hasn’t even learned  _ Lumos _ yet!” 

Draco shrugged, “I wouldn’t have let Scorpius go to school without knowing a spell that could protect him.” He said the words slowly as though he was patiently explaining the idea to Astrid instead of Harry. 

Harry gaped, his jaw dropping as he turned on Scorpius, “You were taught this spell before school too?”

Scorpius gave an apologetic smile before saying, “Yes, of course. I think it’s good to know some defensive magic, especially considering the history that Hogwarts has.” 

Harry huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Astrid could see the Malfoy men had won at least most of that argument from the gesture. They must have known too because there was a discreet smile passed between all three of them. 

“All right,” Harry said, looking back across the room at Mr. Malfoy, “I’m sorry I stormed in, Lucius. I was concerned.” 

“Not a worry, Potter. I would have been concerned were the situation reversed,” he said, graciously. 

Harry looked at the stack of books on the table that Astrid was allowed to borrow, then back at Lucius, “I’m going to assume these books are clean, no dark arts or journals that bring about possession of any kind?”

_ What does that mean?  _ Astrid thought, making a mental note to ask about it later. 

Lucius flinched slightly at the question and looked at the stack, “She wanted to know about Narnia, so I gave her a few children’s books and a history book on magical lands.” He looked back at Harry, “The rest are books she picked herself for research. I don’t think any of them are worse than the books you would find in the Hogwarts library.” 

“Does that include the restricted section?” 

Draco walked over to the stack of books to look at them. “Harry, these are all innocent books, a few children’s books, and history books, like he said.” He pushed most of the books aside till he reached the final one, which he picked up. “Astrid.” 

Astrid walked over to look at the book he was holding. It was a very old looking book with embossed letters reading  _ En Temerant Voistra _ * on the leather cover. She looked up at him, “What’s wrong with this one?” 

“Nothing is  _ wrong _ with it, but it’s not really a good idea for you to read this book at age eleven.” 

Astrid looked between Draco, Harry, and Lucius, trying to decide how to push the issue. She really really really wanted to read that book. It was the only one that Lucius had hesitated on as well. “Perhaps I could discuss it with you? Have you read it?”

“I have,” Draco replied slowly, handing the book to Harry. “If Harry is ok with it I am comfortable with that arrangement. We can discuss it weekly.” 

Harry scanned the book, then pulled out his wand to cast a couple of detection charms. Astrid had seen him do the same thing on the books she’d brought back from Diagon Alley. She thought back to  _ Hogwart’s A History,  _ but couldn’t think of anything referring to a book that would cause him to be so cautious, not to mention being concerned about possession. Eventually, he gave the book back to Draco and said, “As long as you’re the one she’s discussing it with.” He looked at Astrid, “I trust you to be honest with him, Astrid.” 

She affected the most earnest expression she could manage, “I will be, I promise!” 

***

When Astrid returned to Grimmauld Place she sat on the bed in her room surrounded by the books Lucius had let her borrow. Of course, she would read  _ En Temerant Voistra  _ first, as her curiosity couldn’t be more piqued than it was at this moment. She set it on the top of the pile, then re-read the titles on the seems of the books before turning off the light. 

The books read:

_ En Temerant Voistra _

_ Muggles Writing Magic _

_ Wildflowers of Northern Atur _

_ Tales of Beedle the Bard _

_ Skrewts and boots  _

_ The Movement of Moonbeams _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *En Temerant Voistra is a reference to a book list in one of my favorite stories. Please read Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss! It's amazing!


End file.
